The Hindu Business Line : New age ‘BPO union’ takes workers’ stir to cyberspace

New Delhi, July 20 The web is the new battleground for this new age eUnion! The BPO Union 2.0, formed recently, is attempting to reach out to BPO workers through blogs and e-mails, to highlight issues faced by call centre professionals and collectively bargain for their rights.

Over the last few weeks, this eUnion has taken its stir to cyberspace questioning specific programmes by apex industry organisations, throwing the spotlight on lay-offs, posting online petitions to garner support and demanding minimum severance package for affected workers.

“Our primary fight is not via strikes or physical gathering…Our primary fight is not to take on second-in-line decision makers but to engage with key investors of BPOs,” claims the union, which has kept its identity under wraps to “put people and companies at ease”. The union only interacts through the internet but claims to be backed by a team of technology, marketing, legal and communications experts.

“We will eventually register as an entity — an ‘association’ or maybe a ‘trade union’ but we’ll concentrate on the online medium to push our thoughts. In a few weeks we will start a database drive online by collecting e-mail support,” said the anonymous union in an e-mail response to queries by Business Line.

Even though there is no clarity regarding the people behind the movement, their online strategy seems to working for now — the site has seen 4,500 hits since it first sprung-up in June this year.

The initiative has met with scepticism from the industry. When contacted, Mr Sam Chopra, President of Business Process Industry Association of India said, “We are not against unions but it is important to know who they are. We think that in such an initiative all stakeholders should come together and it should have representation from chambers and employers for it to be an effective sounding board.”

While the ITeS industry — where exports grew 30 per cent to $10.9 billion in fiscal 2008 — has in the past been witness to some union activities, the movement has not made much headway nationally. “There are two IT unions in Kolkata and two or three in Kerala. But given the stance of managements towards such issues, as also the lack of Government intervention, it has not caught on elsewhere. The IT sector needs separate laws to govern the working conditions of employees,” said CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) President, Mr M.K. Pandhe.